Global

April 14, 2025 @ 7:46 am By Omar Faridi  |  

In a key achievement for decentralized finance (DeFi), Uniswap announced that Arbitrum, an Ethereum Layer 2 (L2) scaling solution, has become the first L2 to surpass $300 billion in trading volume on the Uniswap Protocol. This milestone, highlighted in Uniswap’s recent updates, underscores the growing… Read More

April 14, 2025 @ 7:43 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has released an assessment of the level of preparedness among local banks, in view of the amendments to EU banking regulations known as CRR3. This follows an industry-wide survey conducted in 2024, which revealed different “levels of readiness among… Read More

April 14, 2025 @ 6:37 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The microfinance institution HES Finances, a subsidiary of the Master Financial Group (MFG), has acquired the CapitalBanker MFI microfinance management solution from the software provider Capital Banking Solutions. In order to accelerate its growth and digitize its microfinance activities, HES Finances will now rely on… Read More

April 13, 2025 @ 9:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Smart Pension, one of the UK’s workplace pension providers, and Dalriada, one of the UK’s independent pension trustee firms, have launched a small-scheme consolidator solution that will aim to “improve value for members of Additional Voluntary Contribution (AVC) schemes.” The solution aims to address issues… Read More

April 13, 2025 @ 6:40 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

CI recently received detailed commentary from blockchain and web3 industry professionals focused on emerging trends such as tokenization, stablecoins, and other forms of digital innovations. Over the past few years, the blockchain and crypto space has emerged from a niche market to an ecosystem ready… Read More

April 13, 2025 @ 5:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Lincoln Financial (NYSE: LNC) announced an $825 million strategic growth investment from Bain Capital, a global investment firm. Bain Capital will acquire a 9.9% stake in Lincoln Financial, creating significant alignment and “long-term value creation opportunities across an array of strategic initiatives over time, with… Read More

April 13, 2025 @ 3:37 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The National Bank of Oman (NBO) has launched a fully digital account opening feature on its mobile app, allowing users to open accounts without visiting a branch or submitting physical documents, as part of its broader shift toward mobile-first banking services. The app-based feature enables… Read More

April 13, 2025 @ 3:01 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital assets firm Gemini recently announced that users in the EU can use Plaid to deposit EUR and GBP into their wallets from their bank accounts – which is described as a “significant enhancement” that will allow users in the region to fund their accounts… Read More

April 13, 2025 @ 2:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Trading and investing platform eToro is to launch a stock lending program, a new feature enabling eToro users based in the UK and Europe to earn passive income by lending out their stocks. eToro is working with BNY, which will act as the “custodian, and… Read More

April 13, 2025 @ 12:36 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The gold reserves of the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates rose 7% in January to AED24.571 billion ($6.69 billion), up from AED22.981 billion in December 2024, according to data from the central bank’s monthly statistical bulletin. The rise in gold holdings was part… Read More

April 13, 2025 @ 10:03 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Alchemy Pay, a fiat-crypto payment gateway, has joined forces with Hedera and integrated Hedera’s native $HBAR and $USDC into its On-Ramp solution, enabling fiat purchases of these assets via credit cards, bank transfers, and local payment methods. By joining forces, Alchemy Pay and The HBAR… Read More

April 13, 2025 @ 7:09 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Crescent Capital Group LP, an alternative credit investment firm, announced the final closing of its third European specialty lending fund, Crescent European Specialty Lending Fund III, with total investable capital of approximately “€3 billion, including targeted leverage and separately managed accounts investing alongside the fund.”… Read More

April 13, 2025 @ 6:20 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Bayview Asset Management, an investment management firm with a 30-year history investing across asset-based credit markets, announced the launch of the firm’s Fund Finance investment business. Industry veterans Michael Timms and Colin Doherty have “joined Bayview to serve as co-heads of the newly created strategy.”… Read More

April 13, 2025 @ 5:26 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

Absa, in partnership with UnionPay International (UPI), is launching contactless payments to UnionPay cardholders across South Africa. The collaboration ensures that customers with UnionPay cards have checkout access at thousands of retail stores nationwide. With digital payments becoming increasingly popular, shoppers expect quick and hassle-free ways… Read More

April 12, 2025 @ 5:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

BitMEX has officially integrated with TradingView, one of the most widely used charting and analysis platforms in the crypto space. This reportedly means BitMEX users can now execute their trades directly from TradingView, “combining seamless order execution with world-class technical analysis tools.” Through the integration,… Read More

April 12, 2025 @ 5:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

FinGoal, a provider of transaction enrichment solutions, announced a partnership with Quiltt, the unified API platform for open banking. This collaboration marks a step forward in simplifying financial data management and “enhancing user experiences across financial applications.” By integrating FinGoal’s transaction enrichment capabilities with Quiltt’s… Read More

April 12, 2025 @ 5:52 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Research from Barclays Eagle Labs shows Edinburgh, Manchester and Bristol contain the strongest clusters of high-growth companies outside London, demonstrating “how local entrepreneurial and tech incubator networks are showing up for growth.” The Tech in the UK 2024 report from Barclays Eagle Labs shows “where… Read More

April 12, 2025 @ 10:50 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Sekoia.io, a European cybersecurity technologies provider and developer of the Sekoia AI-SOC platform, announces it raised 26 million euros from Revaia, with participation from UNEXO and the support of its existing investors Bright Pixel Capital, Omnes Capital and Bpifrance. This Series B funding round brings… Read More

April 12, 2025 @ 10:49 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Raze, a tokenization engine for real-world assets (RWAs), announced a partnership with Redbelly Network, a blockchain designed specifically for real-world asset tokenization. This collaboration creates a solution for asset issuers looking “to tokenize and trade compliant on-chain structured products.” The partnership brings together Raze’s no-code… Read More

April 12, 2025 @ 7:25 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Mayer Brown continues to expand its complex structured financing capabilities with the addition of two lawyers—Rudgee S. Charles and Jeff O’Connor—who have joined the firm’s Banking & Finance practice. Rudgee joins the firm’s New York office as a partner. Jeff joins the firm’s Chicago office,… Read More